Munetaka Murakami homers twice as the White Sox beat the Cubs 8-3
CHICAGO (AP) — Munetaka Murakami homered twice and drove in three runs, helping the Chicago White Sox beat the Chicago Cubs 8-3 on Saturday night. Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery and Andrew Benintendi also connected as the White Sox improved to 6-2 on a nine-game homestand. Davis Martin (6-1) struck out seven while pitching six innings of one-run ball.
Murakami's solo drive to center made it 4-0 in the third inning. The Japanese slugger added his 17th homer in the fifth, a two-run shot to center off Jameson Taillon that traveled an estimated 428 feet. It was Murakami's first career multihomer game.
The rookie batted . 158 (3 for 19) with no homers, seven strikeouts and six walks in his previous six games. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Miguel Amaya homered for the NL Central-leading Cubs, who beat the White Sox 10-5 in the series opener on Friday night.
Taillon (2-3) surrendered a career-high five homers in five-plus innings. The game was played with three umpires after Brian O’Nora departed in the fourth inning. O’Nora had concussion-like symptoms after he was struck by a foul ball while working the plate.
The White Sox jumped in front in the first. Sam Antonacci hit a leadoff single and Murakami walked before Vargas went deep for his 11th homer. Montgomery hit a two-out solo drive in the third for his 13th homer.